Shijo Bridge, in front of you, might be the ground zero of Kyoto old and new: a monk is standing, stock-still, collecting coins, and the mountains to the north are blue in the dusk.

BBC: The walk that made me love Japan

Investors who had standing orders to sell a stock or exchange-traded fund if it fell below a certain price learned the risks of such orders on May 6, 2010.

FORBES: Lessons From The Flash Crash

While the markets are just one political measure of the economy, Obama is relying on investor confidence to boost stock prices and his own standing.

FORBES: The Way We'll Be